Alaska’s Senate race, in which Trump-backed incumbent Dan Sullivan is running against Democrat Mary Peltola and a name double Dan Sullivan, has become a bizarre battleground for political power.

Republicans complain the doppelganger is a liberal plant and have dubbed him ‘Decoy Dan’ – and a bombshell report from The New York Times now revealed that the allegations are true.

A staffer for Democratic hopeful Peltola reportedly was instructed to find as many people with the name Dan Sullivan as possible, the Times reported.

And the scheme turned reality. In spring, a retired teacher from tiny fishing village announced that he is running for Senate under the name Dan Sullivan. 

The only difference between the two Sullivans are their middle name initials. The ‘real’ Dan Sullivan as Trump calls the incumbent goes by Dan S Sullivan, while ‘Decoy Dan’s full name is Dan J Sullivan.

The Peltola campaign so far denied any involvement in his candidacy.

But the Times investigation found interviews, text messages and documents revealing that Peltola’s team actively tried to recruit not only one but several fake Dan Sullivans in a large-scale effort to boost her chances of winning.

The project ran under the title Ballot Composition Project and included a ‘mysterious Midwestern operative,’ who traveled across the Last Frontier to recruit people by drinking with them in pubs.

Trump ordered a lawsuit against Alaska last week if the ‘real’ Dan Sullivan does not win the Senate race

A new investigation from The New York Times uncovered a scheme from the Democratic Party that actually tried to recruit people in Alaska who are named Dan Sullivan

Democratic hopeful Mary Peltola is challenging the incumbent Dan Sullivan 

Lawyers from the Peltola campaign and senior staffers from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) were reportedly part of the scheme as well. 

The investigation further uncovered that the Democrats even considered establishing a new political party to swing Republican voters.

The new findings come after President Trump personally ordered the Justice Department to sue Alaska in an extraordinary bid to block certification of its Senate election results if the incumbent loses.

‘I’m the one that said do it,’ Trump told reporters Friday as he arrived in Florida for a campaign rally, confirming his role in the lawsuit filed by his administration last Thursday.

Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats of putting forward a rival named Daniel J Sullivan Jr to sway votes away from the sitting senator.

On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance doubled down on the accusations: ‘When you put a person on the ballot explicitly to try to confuse voters, I think that’s the definition of electoral fraud. And I don’t think that we should endorse it,’ he told reporters.

Peltola and Sullivan are in a tight race, according to a Data for Progress poll conducted October 8–16, with Peltola leading Sullivan 51 percent to 49 percent. 

A spokesperson from the Sullivan campaing told the Daily Mail in a statement: ‘Not one player in this operation has acted in good faith with Alaska voters. Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along.

‘We always knew this was a concerted effort to deceive Alaskans, and Mary Peltola was hoping it would stay covered up until after the election.’

The Daily Mail contacted Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC for comment.

The stunning new report might change the verdict in Sullivan’s favor and is the latest major blow for Peltola, who had to deal with another setback last Sunday.

The Democrat and her family were injured in a car crash overnight, derailing her midterms campaign yet again.

On the same day, the Daily Mail just reported about the politicians tragic past, as she lost both her own mother and her husband within four months in 2023.

Although Alaska has a population of less than one million, the Senate race has gained unprecendented national attention. 

Trump traveled to Alaska earlier this month to boost Sullivan’s re-election bid.

He once again promised $5,000 to every adult American  – but provided one caveat.

During his speech, Trump said he is ‘going to give all adult citizens in the United States $5,000’ if the Republicans hold both chambers of Congress in November.

‘You gotta spend it in the United States of America,’ the president added. ‘I don’t want you going to China.’

The promise came as the skyrocketing cost of living in the Last Frontier has become a central issue in the bizzare battle. 

In late August, a store in the village of Shungnak in Alaska’s Northwest made headlines after revealing an eye-popping price of $26.82 per gallon of regular gas.

‘Just yesterday, the price was $13.99, but now it is 26.82,’ Douglas told the Alaska Beacon.

A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, showing both of the Daniel Sullivan candidates

Earlier this month, Peltola published images from a rural Alaska grocery store where 12 rolls of paper towels were sold for as much as $40.99 and a set of paper plates for $53.99.

Fish, of all things, could also determine this race’s outcome. Peltola has anchored her campaign around the slogan ‘Fish, Family, Freedom’ – as fisheries have become a hot button issue in the state. 

The Native American grew up fishing salmon with her father and plans to ban large out-of-state trawlers. She also wants stronger financial safety nets for local fishermen.

Sullivan focuses on blocking unregulated foreign seafood fleets from Alaska waters and US markets.